Here 'Till The End
by SeverusSaidAlways
Summary: Tasha saves Christian from his parents who wanted to make him Strigoi. What really happened on that day? Takes place 10 yrs ago, LOOSELY based on pg 71 of Frostbite. Tasha's POV.


_Hey guys! Before you freak, I am NOT taking a break from my Adrian POV fanfic, I just thought I'd do something different while I think of other ideas lol. I try to be original with my fanfictions (okay, for the Adrian thing, I got it out of the book, but still.) I mean original by doing writings that other people don't think about. I wanted to do this part about Tasha saving Christian from his parents trying to turn him when he was younger. I don't think this has been done before, and it's only mentioned in a few pages in Frostbite, and I really think Tasha's character is so cute and quirky in the book, so I wanted to give this a try. Tell me what you think!_

_Standard disclaimers apply. This is in Tasha's POV, on that night when Christian's parents were killed, it happened 10 years ago, but is told in present tense. Keep in mind Tasha is twenty two when this happened._

**Here 'Till the End: Tasha's POV**

For the last month I had been jumpy and restless. It was only a month ago that I had gotten the dreadful news; news that my brother Lucas and his wife Moira had been turned Strigoi- by choice. I had only lived a few minutes away from my brother in Royal Court, and visited often. But now, I had taken up a permanent residence in his house with my little seven year old nephew, Christian- their son. I sat in an armchair in Lucas's living room while Christian took a nap, and I looked at the fireplace but didn't really see anything. Their two guardians, Guardian Black and Guardian Carter were standing on either side of the door, alert and ready for anything. Neither of them had slept much or taken a break since the day I came here, telling them what had happened. That shocking morning playing back in my head like a broken record.

_Flashback: one month ago:_

_I was walking back from a Royal meeting with my friend Annabel Zeklos- a major spreader of gossip- and we were headed to my house for a movie and to catch up on the local gossip. We were laughing about how Helena Dashkov and James Badica were having a secret love affair. _

_After a few minutes of laughing about old friends and Helena's love triangle, there was a furious pounding at my door. Annabel cast me a curious look as to why someone was beating the living daylights out of my front door, but I just shrugged and went to answer it._

_Before I could even ask them "what's wrong?" or "what can I do for you?", they threw themselves at me. Not in an attack, but a small teenage dhampir threw herself into my arms, sobbing up a storm. _

_Even not knowing the person, I hugged her and stroked her hair, telling her it was going to be okay; whatever "it" was. I tilted her chin up to make sure that she wasn't dying or severely injured. She looked up at me, and I instantly recognized her as Raina, a dhampir girl who is a feeder. _

"_Raina, what's wrong?" I asked. I wasn't sure why she came here for whatever her problem was. We actually never really talked. Still, I was glad to help her in anyway I could, just because I liked doing the right thing toward people._

_She started shaking and choked on a sob. "T-they…killed…and…coming back…" she sobbed again._

"_Here, Raina, why don't you come into the kitchen? I'll get you a glass of water." I said in a gentle voice, putting a hand on her back and leading her to the kitchen. Annabel just looked up in shock, so before she could say something, I said "Annabel, would you mind giving us a minute?" she just nodded, still shocked, and walked into the living room._

_I got Raina a glass of water, and sat opposite of her at my kitchen table. "Raina, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong. I'll do whatever I can in my power to help you; I just need you to be calm, okay?"_

_She was taking deep breaths, trying to collect herself. After a few minutes, she looked at me and said, "I'm sorry to freak out like that. I was just terrified, that's all. And I don't need help, personally. I'm actually a messenger to you…" she said, looking uneasy. _

_I was a little scared myself. What had her coming here, sobbing in tears of pure terror?_

"_What is it?" I said, keeping my voice calm._

"_Well…" she said, playing with her hands. "Okay. I'll just say everything from the beginning. I went into the feeding room, as usual, but when I walked in there; and the lights were out, which was unusual. I turned them on, and saw two of my friends- Paul and Michelle-… and they were…" she cut off again and started sobbing._

_I handed her a tissue and said, "If someone's in trouble Raina, I need to know what's going on." I said, firmly but gently._

_She took a quick breath and let it out in a huff. "Two people were drinking from them. I know you think that's not unnatural, since it is, after all, a feeding room. But these people had them in their arms, holding them when they tried to get away. After a few minutes, I got worried. They were drinking for a long time! And then….and then Paul and Michelle dropped to the ground in a heap, and they weren't breathing. I ran over to them, only to be thrown into a wall. I was so terrified! They were Strigoi, freshly made ones too. They held me by my neck against the wall and they said, "'Listen, little girl. We are terribly thirsty, but we will spare you if you cooperate. I want you to run and tell the first person you see, that we Lucas and Moira Ozera have turned Strigoi by choice, and we __**will**__ be back again. Got that? You have five seconds to run or we'll just kill you too.' And man did I run!_

_I was frozen. She did not just say what I thought she said. "Who… who did you just say?" I asked in disbelief._

"_Lucas and Moira Ozera. They're your family, right?"_

_Oh my God. Time froze, and I felt like someone had sucked the air right out of me. The room was spinning and I couldn't breath. My own brother had turned Strigoi; willingly. 'We will be back again.' What did that mean? Who were they coming back f- Oh my God. Christian!_

_I was distantly aware of Raina saying something, probably calling my name, but I didn't hear her. I was out the door in a flash and ran through the town like I had never ran in my life. _

_I finally reached Lucas's house, in record time and burst through the door. The two guardians were on top of me in a second, but realizing it was me, they got up._

"_Miss Ozera, we're so sorry! We didn't realize it was you. Did we hurt you?"_

"_No," I said panting. "Where's Christian?"_

"_Mr. Ozera is in his room, playing with his action figures _**(Christian was a G.I Joe guy! Lmao)**

_I sprinted to Christian's room and the other guardians were on my heels. And there he was, in the middle of his floor, smashing his Godzilla toy on a G.I. Joe jeep. I sighed in relief. He heard my entrance and looked up. "Hi Auntie Tasha!" he said excitedly, giving me a toothless grin and running over to hug me. "Wanna see my new truck?! It makes noises!"_

_I laughed in relief and at his excitement. "How 'bout I play army attack in a few minutes, okay? I need to talk to Guardian Black and Guardian Carter for a few minutes. And then we can have some ice-cream. How does that sound?" I said with a smile, which was sort of forced. I didn't want him knowing about his parents._

_His face lit up. "Yeah!" Then he ran back into his room and started making the same noises as his truck, and I laughed again. _**(Aww! Christian was a cutie-patooty!)**

_The two guardians looked at me questionably, and I gestured to the living room. We all sat down, and I explain everything Raina had told me about Lucas and Moira, and how they were after Christian. They immediately sprang up after I told them this, Guardian Carter taking the door and Guardian Black standing outside Christian's bedroom. I told them that I would also be staying with Christian from now on._

_Christian stepped out of his room, with Guardian Black literally right behind him and he asked me, "Auntie Tasha…When are mommy and daddy coming back from the feeders?"_

_I looked uneasily at the guardians, and their usual stoic mask was replaced with one of pure agony. They had technically let their charge 'die', even though no one would hold them accountable for two reasons. One, in Court, there were so many wards that rarely anyone was escorted to the feeders, because there were also guardians inside the building too. And two, because it had been willing, and you can't really stop them when it was their decision._

_I just ignored Christians questions, and subtly changed the subject saying, "Come on, I'll let you have __**three**__ scoops __**and **__you can even put Oreos on top of your ice-cream!" _

"_Yay!" he squealed and ran into the kitchen, pulling me along with him._

_END FLASHBACK._

Guardian Black and Guardian Carter hadn't even moved from their position in the door. I was probably just as tired as they were, because all of us had gone three days straight without sleep. We were just too anxious. I sighed and opened a magazine, trying to focus on something else. I had Christian stay in the same room as me, so he was on the loveseat sleeping. I almost forgot he was there. I walked over to him and gently shook him. "Christian, sweetie. You have to wake up now."

He just turned the other way, so I leaned down and tickled him on the sides and he started giggling. "Auntie Tasha!" he protested in between laughs.

"You've slept long enough. Time to get up now." I said, and he complied. He was usually really good about waking up.

He got up and rubbed his eyes and turned his attention to the TV that I kept on, and he was instantly focused on the Blue's Clues episode that was on.

That's when it happened. The door crashed opened, my head jerked up just in time to see both of the Guardians fall to the ground, their necks being snapped. I was frozen with shock, unable to move. Right in front of me was my brother and sister-in-law. And they had just snapped two people's necks like they were a twig.

"Hello Tasha," Lucas said in a menacing voice.

"It's been too long," Moira said in the same tone, both of them circling me.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Christian exclaimed and started to run toward them.

"Christian NO!" I screamed. "Don't go near them!" He froze, confused as to why I wouldn't let him see his parents, when we all had gotten along perfectly before they were turned.

"Yes, son, come here," Lucas said almost soothingly. Compulsion! Christian looked dazed, and started walking toward his dad.

"Christian! Don't look at him!" I shouted desperately, but he was too far under the spell to hear me.

"Daddy just wants to see you Christian," he continued. Lucas was slowly moving toward Christian, while Moira was watching me like a lion would a gazelle.

Lucas continued coaxing Christian, and as I tried to lunge toward Christian, Moira had me pinned down in a blink of an eye. I tried struggling but it was useless. "You will be the one that Christian feeds from," Moira growled on top of me. "He'll drain you completely and he'll be one of us."

I had never given much thought to how I would die. But dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go. But I wouldn't be dying for Christian; I would be giving him eternal damnation. I loved Christian like he was my own son, and I wouldn't let that happen to him. I wasn't going to die like this either. I wouldn't be the reason Christian was stuck in a living hell. I was going to do anything in my power to protect myself and Christian. Anything in my power. Realization suddenly hit me. I did have something that Lucas and Moira didn't! They may have super strength and speed, but I had something just as effective.

As I saw Lucas get with in arms length of Christian, without a second thought I released flames from my hands, engulfing him in flames. He screamed out in pain, and Christian snapped out of the compulsion. "Daddy!" he screamed, going toward his father.

"Christian, NO! Run to Mrs. Freeman's house, NOW!" I screamed at him. Mrs. Freeman was their neighbor, and I hoped she would take care of him.

"You bitch!" Moira screamed at me. She leaned down quickly to bite my neck, but I jerked away from under her. Instead of her piercing my vein in my neck, her fangs ripped into my left cheek and tore down. I screamed out in pain, as Moira spit on the ground near me, blood and a piece of my flesh coming out of her mouth. I continued to scream in agony, but I refused to go without a fight. Not if Christian's life depended on it. He was still frozen in the room, watching his father try to fight the flames around him, but the flames didn't actually touch his skin. I focused on Moira and a flame instantly surrounded her, like Lucas's. She screamed out in surprise and jumped off me. There was no way we were getting out of here alive.

Just then, like my own personal miracle, six guardians came storming through the door like Death in a uniform, and the headed toward Lucas and Moira. I had put the flames out by then so the guardians could stake them without getting burned. They still seemed shocked over the flames, so Moira didn't see the guardian come at her with the stake, and neatly shoved it between her ribs and into her heart. She screamed for a few moments, and then stopped moving all together. Lucas however didn't have the element of surprise on him, so he was ready for their attack, two guardians took him on, each receiving a few blows, then one finally staked him. Once Lucas had stopped moving, the guardian pulled the stake out.

They were over to us in an instant; my cheek was still bleeding from the gash of missing flesh. They put a cloth over it, and escorted me and Christian into a dark SUV to be taken to the med clinic. Christian was in shock the whole time in the house, watching his parents die and me being attacked by them. Poor child. This would probably haunt him until the day he dies. His parents abandoned him, just so they could live forever. He started sobbing once we were in the car, whimpering "mommy" and "daddy" once in a while. I just held onto him while he sobbed into my chest.

"Shh, Christian, shh. Everything will be okay sweetheart. I'll take care of you. I won't let anything happen to you. _I'll be here 'till the end_." I said soothingly, and then started humming his lullaby that he had when he was an infant. He obviously didn't remember his mother singing it, and I was glad. I didn't want it to upset him even more. I just hummed him to sleep and rubbed comforting circles in his back while he fell asleep on my lap. Christian's sleeping presence was calming, and I actually forgot about the searing pain in my cheek. The guardians didn't ask me any questions, at least not yet. They'd probably wait until Christian wasn't with me, and they probably wanted to give us a moment together.

After a twenty minute drive, we finally arrived at the med clinic. Christian was taken from my lap and carried onto a cot by a guardian, while I was being led by the arm- since I was getting dizzy- by another guardian to a cot near Christian's. The last thing I remember were three doctors surrounding me, shouting orders before I blacked out.

**************

**One month later**

I was released from the hospital a week ago, after the doctor's attempted to 'sew' my face back on. I had to receive sixty four stitches on my cheek, and I now had two scars running down my face.

Christian is now living with me in my house. I had my guestroom re-done to look just like his old room in his old house, and had Mrs. Freeman- Christian's old neighbor- bring over all his toys and clothes.

Annabel Zeklos had overhead my conversation with Raina that day, and had told everyone in Court. Everyone was also alerted of the attack, too. So now, everyone in Court refused to talk to an Ozera. Christian and I weren't the only ones, either. There was probably another eight Ozera's living in Court. All of us were shunned upon, called names and avoided.

Christian seemed to be a ghost. Going through the motions, like a robot. I knew he was traumatized, but he would heal in time. He was a strong boy.

I was eternally grateful to those six guardians, because if they hadn't come when they did, I would be dead and Christian would be- I shuddered, not wanting to think about it.

From that moment when I was rescued, I realized I didn't like being helpless. I didn't like being defenseless. As I saw in the house, guardians weren't always going to be around to protect us. We Moroi had to learn to protect ourselves. I made a vow to myself that I would never be completely defenseless again I refused to die without putting up a fight.

I would do anything in my power to protect the one's I loved.

*********

_Loved it, hated it? Tasha isn't really mentioned that much, so I couldn't really grasp her character as well as I would have loved to. When I write, I try to become the character as best I can, but I didn't have much to work with when it came to Tasha. I tried to embrace her loving and protective nature as best as I could, but oh well. Sorry if it was a total fail! Please review and tell me what you think! Haha hidden Twilight movie quote in there :]_

_Xoxo Brittany Ivashkov_


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